TravelChick

Thanksgiving Day

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday; I think maybe my mom and my friend Cara know that. I like it because it revolves around three of the most important things in my life: food, family, and friends. To me there's nothing better than eating good food with people you care about and a holiday designed just for that is splendid.

Today I woke up, had tea and raspberry jam toast, lazed about, and then checked my e-mail and set off for the city. When I got to Tottenham Court Road, the weather had turned blustery and wet, hard drops of rain pelted walkers. I darted over to Covent Garden and a cozy coffee shop there, where I ensonced myself at a table for one that was just big enough for me to rest my elbows on and dig into my book, a cappuccino, and a cookie.

After sating myself with good coffee and a novel, I rounded the corner to a bead shop and found exactly the item I'd been looking for to complete a scarf that I'm knitting. While browsing in an accessories store, I realized the dangly bit on one of my earrings was missing, and hastily rushed back to the bead store and then to the coffee shop to see if it had by chance fallen off there. Serendipitously, it was in the coffee shop, and I felt good about Thanksgiving all the way to the bead shop, where the owner lent me her pliers so I could repair my earring.

My Thanksgiving dinner was spent with three married Mormon couples. We ordered in some pizza (very American) and each of us talked about what we are thankful for. For dessert, the couple who hosted the gathering surprised us with a lovely pumpkin pie from Harrod's. It was delicious and made us all deliriously happy.

On the tube home I noticed a woman with sparkly, green, dangly earrings. She'd better watch out for those dangly bits. The young woman sitting next to me was wearing too much makeup and arguing with someone about the way they were treating her on her birthday. She kept getting fed up and teary, hanging up on them, and then calling them back for more arguing. She had a large black bag with sequined straps she lugged around as if it contained a bowling ball. Perhaps it did. I was thankful for all this, the warmth of the day, and for feeling at home even though I'm very much home-less.

posted by Travel Chick @ 2:27 AM